My current body of work is an accumulation of the last 4 years of research. In 2020 I woke up feeling like I could no longer make the body of work I had spent 14 years working on and making. It was time for a change. I needed to learn again. So I spent the next 4 years experimenting. I started with something entirely new, block printing on fabric. Then after 10 months of learning this new skill I started using the same blocks to apply texture and pattern to wheel thrown forms. Then I added underglaze transfers and mishima to my repertoire. I quickly moved to directly applying colored slip to pots and focusing on brush work and carving back in line. I used my favorite slip trailing techniques in new ways and added a whole new line of commercial glazes to my work. I hand built forms. I used pressed slabs. And all this experimentation led me here. Over 10 new “lines” of work in 4 years led to Majolica.
In August of 2024 I had the opportunity to attend a residency at Watershed Ceramics in Maine. I took this opportunity to experiment with a new clay body and glazing process. Laguna #80, a red clay body, has the texture and skin that I was missing in my cone 6 white stoneware. Each hand movement is important when throwing the form. The white glaze adds a layer of another kind to the surface. It lets you know there is red another and at times when it breaks over the rim or edge it looks like it’s toasted. The colors mix and meld with the white base glaze adding a fluidity and movement of their own. The shapes and layering of color add more depth. The line work on top, settling ever so gently in the firing, add definition and accentuate the drawings. These design principles coming together with the shape and form of the object to create a cohesive piece that suggests playfulness and movement.

Since graduating from Alfred University Dawn has been one of Ceramic Monthly’s Emerging Artists, shown in galleries across the country and has been in several publications. Most recently Dawn has had the opportunity to participate in a ceramic residency at Watershed Ceramics in Maine where she started developing her latest body of work. Dawn has a studio in Round Lake New York, where she teaches ceramics to children and adults.